Fabulous fabrics
Special occasions call for beautiful accessories. It’s that intricately patterned tablecloth, a sumptuous linen napkin, luxurious table runner or stunning towel for the guests that can complete a setting.
And, when there is a wonderful story that accompanies each artisanal piece, then the entertaining conversation flows freely. The name Tessitura Pardi is well known in Italy for elegant home linen and interior décor items that hail from the beautiful Umbrian area of Montefalco. Made from natural fibres – linen, cotton and a linen/cotton blend – the products incorporate centuries of hand weaving techniques and traditional patterns. They were born out of a family’s adversity following World War 11, but are based on ancient peasant crafts.
The Pardi family had long produced award-winning wine in the Montefalco area. The brothers Alberto, Alfredo and Francesco Pardi worked the grapes by hand. The Bianco, Rosso and Sagrantino Passito wines were famous throughout Umbria and their most prestigious buyer was The Vatican. But, when the next generation of brothers, Tito, Mario and Pietro Pardi returned after the war they found the vineyards severely damaged and with no funds to restart them. According to family legend, the brothers were walking in the countryside and discussing their options when they happened on a young woman carrying a heavy basket. They asked if they could help. She was on her way to sell tablecloths handwoven by her mother and sisters. Montefalco has been a centre for linen production since the middle ages. They were stunned by the beauty and quality of the goods. By the end of the day, the Pardis decided to start production of the natural fabrics and set up the mill among the vineyards.
As the business developed, they installed shuttle power looms and hired an expert technician, Giovanni Battista, from Busto Arsizio in Italy’s north, to produce heirloom quality goods. Giovanni’s son, Raffaele, married a woman from Montefalco and their son, Giovanni is today the custodian of three generations of weaving secrets. They have retained the traditional patterns that have been passed through families for countless generations. The hand towels feature hand-knotted fringes. Traditional hemstitching can be found on the tablecloths.
The second and third generations of Pardis, Agostino, Alberto and Franceso now run the weaving business. And, as for that vineyard, the great grandsons, Francesco, Gianluca Rio and Alberto Mario Pardi have revived it and are now producing Pardi Sagrantino, Passito and Rosso di Montefalco.
These exclusive products have now found their way to Australia. Robert and Antoinette Thomson have travelled to Italy often, due to Antoinette’s Italian family heritage. For one trip, they joined with 15 friends and visited Ravello, an historic town above the Amalfi Coast in Campania. “We found the most beautiful linen items in the shops there and bought some for home because they were heirloom quality,” Robert says. They loved the items so much that they decided to approach the manufacturers at Tessitura Pardi and secured the exclusive rights for Australian sales. Their new business, Casa Vita, was born. The range is available Australia-wide, on-line.
Further information:
www.casavita.com.au